


Smoke and Mirrors (2006)

by JennyB



Category: Yami No Matsuei
Genre: Community: 30kisses, M/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-10-07
Updated: 2006-10-07
Packaged: 2018-01-05 10:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1093045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennyB/pseuds/JennyB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsuzuki returns from a failed mission, late and with nothing to report. Still, the dressing down from his colleagues was well worth it!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smoke and Mirrors (2006)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the LJ group "30kisses". Prompt was 'ano sa (hey, you know)'.

A small, dark smile spread across Tsuzuki’s face as he returned to Meifu that afternoon – late, as usual. He knew he was in for a reaming from his boss, but under the circumstances, it was going to be more than worth it. Chuckling softly, his eyes sparkling, he hurried up the stairs and quickly entered the office. Everyone was already in the boardroom as he slipped inside, his expression sheepish when he saw Konoe’s scowl, Hisoka’s glare, and Tatsumi’s sympathetic smile. Half-heartedly, he waved to Watari as he took his seat beside the long-haired blond.

“Nice of you to finally join us,” Konoe quipped gruffly, not bothering to look at the amethyst-eyed brunette as he took a sip of his coffee. “I suppose it would be too much to expect that you brought us something back as compensation for your tardiness?”

“Uh, well, I uh…”

“So, I take it that’s a ‘no’, then?” Konoe asked, snorting derisively when Tsuzuki pinked slightly and nodded. “I’d better not find out you spent the day slacking off; you can be replaced, you know!” The grey-haired gentleman sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine then – I hope you at least have something relevant to report.”

Tsuzuki started when he heard his boss’ threat, and then plastered a small scowl on his face. “The only thing I have to report is that the alleged ‘ghosts’ haunting the Raijin Temple turned out to be a bunch of special effects students from the college looking to scare a few tourists. It seems that the whole investigation was a complete waste of time.” The scowl was accompanied by a sigh of righteous indignation.

“You would know all about wasting time, Tsuzuki!” the chief snapped. “Any amateur agent would have figured that out long before now and would have been back in time for the afternoon meeting! Hell, remind me again why we pay you?”

At that, Tatsumi spoke up, adjusting his glasses as he perused a ledger file in front of him. “It’s because Tsuzuki-san currently owes the department over sixty-seven years worth of wages to pay for the damages he has caused _to date_ , and were we to let him go, there is no way we could recoup those losses.”

“Those weren’t all my fault,” the amethyst-eyed brunet murmured under his breath as he glared at his former partner, earning an amused snort from Watari for his comment. 

Konoe, who hadn’t heard him, simply nodded to his accountant. “Right,” he replied wryly, sighing heavily. “Alright then; if there’s nothing else, then that’s it for today. We’ll begin again in the morning. And _on time_ , ne?” he quipped, staring pointedly at Tsuzuki.

Sinking down further into his chair, Tsuzuki nodded glumly, letting out a sigh once the older gentleman had left. “He sure has a way with words,” he said lowly. “And if I hadn’t checked it out, he’d have accused me of being lazy and inept.” With a humourless snort, the smaller brunet teased, “It’s a catch-22. I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t. I just can’t win for trying.”

“Yeah, well, maybe if you’d come back with me instead of sticking around to ‘double check’ things, he wouldn’t have been so pissed at you,” Hisoka drawled as he got to his feet and slipped on his coat. “You bring it all on yourself, you know,” the teen continued, nodding good bye to the other two men as he left.

Tsuzuki just gaped after his partner, his eyes wide in disbelief. “Did he just say that to me?” he asked incredulously. “That little _brat_!” Pouting slightly, he got up from his chair, his moue increasing when he heard 003’s pleased hoot and Watari’s soft chuckle.

“Oh, don’t take it so hard, Tsuzuki-san,” the blond scientist soothed, resting a hand on Tsuzuki’s arm. “I’m sure the kid, in his own _unique_ way, is just looking out for his partner.” He laughed harder at the other’s sour expression, but his golden eyes remained kind. “Ah, Asato…cheer up. Tonight, the two of us will go out. We’ll drown our collective sorrows over a bottle of sake – you, for being bested by a kid, and me, for my latest failed experiment.” He gave a wry smile as he smoothed down the front of his lab coat. “Incidentally, if you see any rather large looking mice running around wearing jumpsuits, do try to corral them for me, ne? I, uh…have four of seven in my lab.”

Tatsumi shook his head as he gathered up his ledgers. “Baka,” he murmured kindly once Watari had left, and Tsuzuki was unsure as to whom the stoic brunet was referring – until he met the deep, cobalt eyes. 

Sighing, the amethyst-eyed man smiled feebly at his former partner. “What?” he asked innocently, although he knew full well what the other was going to say to him.

“Why, Asato? As soon as you saw the kids with their equipment, you had to have known. Why did you have to stay and investigate more?” Tatsumi’s expression was kind, but confused. “I know you’re not as inept as you pretend to be sometimes.”

“Ano sa, Seiichiro, I just love being around people. I can’t help myself; it’s a weakness. I like to watch them, be with them…interact with them.” He gave the taller man a wide smile. “They fascinate me.” Giving his friend a playful wink, he draped his trench coat over his arm and headed for home. Once he was outside, his smile widened exponentially. What he had told Tatsumi had been the truth…but only a partial one. Closing his eyes, he was able to vividly recall the events from that afternoon. He could see the darkness in those silver eyes, and still feel the way Muraki-sensei had grabbed him by the lapels and roughly pressed him against the wall in the temple’s inner sanctum. A shiver ran through his body when he recalled what the doctor had said to him – that sensual purr that drove him mad reminding him that he would one day possess the other. Chuckling softly, he blinked his eyes open, pressing his fingers lightly to his lips. He could still taste the sweetness of green tea mixed with the slightly bitter tang of tobacco. _’Not that I’d ever tell you this,’_ he thought, _’But I’d say I’m already yours.’_


End file.
